10 Cars That Embarrassed Their Makers

Photo by Motor74

3. 1990 Lotus Elan

At the start of the 90’s Lotus resurrected the Elan nameplate and equipped it with an Isuzu powertrain and front wheel drive. This marks the first and only time Lotus made a front wheel drive car. The handling was great but the powertrain left more to be desired. Two engines were available for the Elan: a 130 horsepower naturally aspirated and a 160 horsepower turbocharged engine. General Motors was behind the funding for the Elan, as they owned Lotus at the time. This explains how an Isuzu powertrain ended up in a Lotus, and how “handling by Lotus” badges ended up on the Isuzu Impulse. The Elan ended production in 1995, when the design was purchased by Kia.